Democrat Candidate for Auditor Cries Fowl Over Vaudt Talking About State Finances On Campaign Trail

We all know that Democrats across the nation are doing everything in their power to distance themselves from the failed policies of President Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The same thing is taking place here in Iowa as Democrats are avoiding talking about the state’s finances and also don’t want to associate with Governor Chet Culver.

One Iowa Democrat is so adamant about not talking about the state finances that he is criticizing his Republican opponent for doing so. Jon Murphy, the Democratic candidate for State Auditor, is criticizing State Auditor Dave Vaudt for having the audacity to talk about the state’s finances as he travels across the state campaigning.

Murphy and Iowa Democrats are trying to make the case that Vaudt is over politicizing the auditor’s office, but those claims are ridiculous to those who have followed Vaudt since being elected in 2002.

Vaudt likes to remind people that there is no such thing as Republican numbers and Democrat numbers – only the real numbers that all of Iowa deals with. One of those numbers is the $2.4 billion that Governor Culver and the Democrat spent which exceeded what the state received in revenues. If you want to see more about the numbers that Vaudt talks about, click here.

It seems that Murphy’s major bone of contention is Vaudt’s criticisms of Culver and the Democrats’ use of one-time monies from the federal government. Vaudt has been a long time critic of the practice, long before Branstad was even rumored to be interested in another gubernatorial run.

Unlike Vaudt, Murphy isn’t a CPA and does not possess the accounting and auditing background required to become a licensed CPA. Instead, Murphy is a former lobbyist who was hired by the Culver administration to help monitor how the federal stimulus money is being spent in Iowa.

The question that Des Moines Register columnist Jason Clayworth should has asked Murphy before publishing his article on this topic yesterday is whether or not Murphy could audit his former boss if elected. More importantly, since Murphy has overseen the federal stimulus spending, there would be a conflict of interest if he were elected the Auditor of the state.

In his two terms as Iowa’s Auditor, Dave Vaudt has proven to be a straight shooter. While it is understandable that Culver and the Democrats don’t want Vaudt out there talking about the state’s finances, he provides the type of transparency that the people of Iowa deserve.

Maybe instead of being critical of what candidates say at their campaign events, Murphy and Clayworth should focus on statelegislators who use state meetings to campaign against Republicans. That’s something to be upset about.

About the Author

Craig Robinson

Craig Robinson is the founder and editor-in-chief of TheIowaRepublican.com, a political news and commentary site he launched in March of 2009. Robinson’s political analysis is respected across party lines, which has allowed him to build a good rapport with journalist across the country.
Robinson has also been featured on Iowa Public Television’s Iowa Press, ABC’s This Week, and other local television and radio programs. Campaign’s & Elections Magazine recognized Robinson as one of the top influencers of the 2012 Iowa Caucuses.
A 2013 Politico article sited Robinson and TheIowaRepublican.com as the “premier example” of Republican operatives across the country starting up their own political news sites. His website has been repeatedly praised as the best political blog in Iowa by the Washington Post, and in January of 2015, Politico included him on the list of local reporters that matter in the early presidential states.
Robinson got his first taste of Iowa politics in 1999 while serving as Steve Forbes’ southeast Iowa field coordinator where he was responsible for organizing 27 Iowa counties. In 2007, Robinson served as the Political Director of the Republican Party of Iowa where he was responsible for organizing the 2007 Iowa Straw Poll and the 2008 First-in-the-Nation Iowa Caucuses. Following the caucuses, he created his own political news and commentary site, TheIowaRepublcian.com.
Robinson is also the President of Global Intermediate, a national mail and political communications firm with offices in West Des Moines, Iowa, and Washington, D.C. Robinson utilizes his fundraising and communications background to service Global’s growing client roster with digital and print marketing.
Robinson is a native of Goose Lake, Iowa, and a 1999 graduate of St. Ambrose University in Davenport, where he earned degrees in history and political science. Robinson lives in Ankeny, Iowa, with his wife, Amanda, and son, Luke. He is an active member of the Lutheran Church of Hope.